


Tales of a Fox and a Hermit

by naripetal



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal
Genre: F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mentions of Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:34:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28822275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naripetal/pseuds/naripetal
Summary: A collection of short stories featuring Yusuke and Futaba (mostly set after the events of P5R)
Relationships: Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakura Futaba
Comments: 9
Kudos: 21





	1. Prompt: Comiket

It had been 40 minutes since they entered the line. While they did move forward, they were still a little ways away. Sweat drenched clothes clung to Yusuke and Futaba’s bodies, but they could do nothing but stand in line, waiting to get a shot at entering a building to search for a specific doujinshi. 

Futaba went on and on about it for months, talking about how based off of the snippets she saw it was a must-have. The catch was that the author only had a very limited set available, and they’d be scattered everywhere. When Yusuke questioned the odd business strategy, Futaba wrote it off saying the author tends to be very chaotic. Intrigued, Yusuke asked to tag along to witness the event. Futaba protested at first, but Yusuke was very adamant, so she gave in and let him.

However, the duo was now questioning their choices. While Yusuke came prepared with a parasol; Futaba came with water and sunscreen, it didn’t deter the heat from boiling them alive. 

“This heat better be worth it.”

“The passion of all these people is simply enchanting. Waiting in this bliste-”

“Can you NOT romanticize this?! I LOOK LIKE A LOBSTER!”

“I suggested you wear a sweater.”

“A SWEATER IN THIS HEAT?! WHAT AM I?! A MASOCHIST!?”

Another 20 minutes went by before they entered the building, filled with fresh air. However, upon looking at the giant crowd of people, Futaba froze. Her breathing became shallow, her legs turned to jelly, and her heart ran at 100 miles per hour. Tears formed around her eyes as the gravity of her situation began to sink in. Yusuke bent down to her level, grabbed her hands, forcing her to look at him.

This wasn’t the first time she’s gotten like this. It was actually one of the main reasons he forced himself to come. After Akira went back home, Yusuke took up the mantle of being her escort and learned how to best support her when she gets panic attacks.

“Do you want to leave?” 

“....no.”

“What do you need?”

“...piggyback.”  
The duo made it to the booth, with Futaba clutching onto Yusuke’s neck for dear life paired with the odd stares from everyone around them. They made it to the booth with no problem and found that the supposed “catch” Futaba went along with was a lie. While it was true that the author had a limited set, they wouldn’t do something so cruel as to scatter their copies around like that. 

Either way, Futaba managed to get her copy before heading back to Leblanc for a celebratory dinner. When they entered the door, all Sojiro could do was spit out the coffee he was drinking when he got a good look at Futaba.

“I don’t want to hear it, Sojiro.”

“Aw, come on, don’t be...shellfish.”

Yusuke chortled at the joke, only for Futaba to throw her water bottle at him.

“DON’T ENCOURAGE HIM, INARI!”


	2. Prompt: Dense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Futaba and Yusuke can be kinda dense when it comes to social cues, but the memo reached Futaba first.

The new school year was set to begin in a few weeks, and Futaba was dreading it. Not only are most of her friends gone from Shujin, but her only friend around goes to a liberal arts focused school, and she is anything but any sort of artistically inclined. Her passion for binary numbers has led her here, lightly banging her head against the wood of Leblanc's back table with Yusuke trying to offer some logical advice. 

“Yoshizawa is a second year; why not befriend her?”

“She’s nice, but I think her interest in making friends with us vanished when Akira left.”

"What do you mean?" 

Futaba's head shot up, eyes wide and glasses nearly about to slide off from the bridge of her nose. She knew he wasn't quick with the uptake on those he kept at a distance, but she didn't think he was oblivious to the obvious. 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN'?!”

She screeched which led to Sojiro to reprimand the orange headed loudspeaker.  
Afraid of more of her outbursts disturbing clients, they went into her bedroom before Yusuke continued the conversation. 

“I never paid much attention to her.” 

Fair. She was rarely around, and she only knew Akira. If anything, they only interacted with her when they went to infiltrate Maruki's lab and during mementos related meetings. There was rarely any time to actually get to know her like they did with everyone else due to her commitment to gymnastics. Hell, they know more about Akechi than her. 

“Not even to her persona?”

“What about it?”

“Cendrillon?! ELLA?! LITERAL BRIDE ELLA?! TWO OF HER PERSONAS WERE BASED OFF OF CINDERELLA!”

“How does this relate to her infatuation with Akira?”

“She probably thought Akira was her prince charming!”

“...but it’s obvious that Akira only has feelings for Akechi. Why would sh-”

“Oh, you…” 

Yusuke was unprepared for the impact of a pillow meeting his body. Futaba was relentless in her assault, as Yusuke cowered on the floor of her bedroom.

“DENSE” 

Another hit. This time he felt her straddle him as she continued her onslaught. 

“ASS” 

One more hit. This time Yusuke covered his face, making her swing the pillow at his torso as she punctuated her hit with a simple:

“INARI!”

She threw the pillow at him one last time before taking a look at the poor disheveled mess she made of the tall boy. She laughed at his frazzled state while he returned her glee with a frown, but in that moment, her worries of the impending school year were long forgotten.


	3. Prompt: Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusuke ponders his relationship with his mother.
> 
> Warning for mentions of: suicide, death, suicidal idealizations.

Yusuke, like everyone else, has days where he ponders about his life. As an artist, he feels it is necessary to understand human emotion to properly express it. However, there is something he still seems to have no real concept of: pure familial love. 

Sure, he grew up with Madarame, who taught him how to paint and fostered that skill for him, but the seduction of greed and vanity took control of his father figure and turned him into a monster that drove some of his peers to suicide. 

On these kinds of mornings, he visits the graves of his fellow comrades who have been lost in Madarame's sins before school. His heart sinks to his stomach, knowing that if it wasn’t for the Phantom Thieves, he would’ve ended up alongside them. It pained him to know that maybe, just maybe, if he had his mother, things wouldn’t have ended up like this for him. 

Ah that’s right; Madarame took that from him as well. The root of the conflict within himself begins here. How could he simultaneously love and loathe this man for giving him his life’s greatest joy, but also sullying that passion with innocent blood?

Having no desire to do anything, he skipped painting today and made a beeline straight for Leblanc. He had to see that painting. No, he had to see her today. Leblanc was uncharacteristically crowded, but there was a space at the bar right in front of Sayuri. 

Is it familial love to forgive Madarame for his descent into madness? No, surely not. From what he’s understood from films, television, and Ryuji is that familial love is kind, pure, and warm. However, the closest he’s ever felt to this so-called familial love is when he looked at Sayuri.

Looking at Sayuri always put him at ease, as if the painting enveloped him in a reassuring hug. It made him feel loved, and in that moment, he felt like he understood familial love. That is, until he realizes that his feelings are coming from a painting, not an actual person. Frustrated, he decided to ask Futaba about her experiences, hoping to get a better understanding. 

Luckily, she was already sitting next to him, calling on Sojiro to feed them already. He wondered how long she had been there, but seeing her lethargic state, not very long. Their plates were promptly served, but his thoughts still weighed heavy on him. Without thinking, he blurted out: Futaba, what was it like having a mother? 

She froze; the spoon in her mouth dropped to the plate before she turned to him, perplexed with his random outburst. The only thing she could manage to say was a simple, “Eh?” and he repeated his question.

“Where did that come from?!”

“It’s a mere stray thought. My apologies for making you uncomfortable.”

He dropped the conversation, sensing he shouldn’t have asked her something so personal and focused on finishing his food. The duo did chat for a bit, but Yusuke still felt antsy, so while Futaba was in the bathroom, he excused himself and left Leblanc. He was reaching the train station when he felt a tugging at his book bag. 

Futaba fell to her knees, wheezing due to the strenuous physical activity. They moved to a nearby bench to let her catch her breath. After a few minutes, she found the strength to speak.

“It was nice!”

Yusuke was taken aback by her little outburst, but she continued with her explanation.

“Having a mom…she’d scold me for being annoying, but at the end of the day, I know she always has my back...even in death.”

“In death?”

“Sojiro’s curry! Remember, she modified the recipe!” She started to fidget in front of him and her once boisterous voice dropped to a meek tone. “So....even if it’s not her cooking, it’s her recipe, and it gives me energy to go hard at programming or run after you. She’s my support.”

“In that case, would seeing my mother’s painting be a form of support?” 

“That painting’s the reason you wanted to become an artist, no?”

“Well, yes.” 

“...and it gives you a reason to keep going?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s your relationship with your mom.”

“But it isn’t like yours or Ryuji’s.”

“Everyone’s relationship with their parents is different. The important thing here is how YOU feel about your mom.”

In that moment, everything made sense to him. He didn’t need to have that televised relationship. He didn’t need a mother to scold him for having a mess in his room. He had a mother who inspired him to do his best and chase his passions through her art. That’s his relationship with his mother, and no one could take it from him. 

“Well?”

“She’s my inspiration.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I meant for this collection to stay within the T rating, but here we are.))
> 
> Side bar: I also draw from time to time, so here's a [doodle](https://twitter.com/Naripetal/status/1352911815672438784) I did of them Jojo posing. Yes. Jojo posing


End file.
